Saturday, January 13, 2007

Harper Invites "The Terminator"

The Prime Minister's Office has sent Arnold Schwarzenegger an invitation to visit, CTV News has learned, at a time when both the California governor and Canada's Conservatives are focusing on the environment.

Schwarzenegger, who drives a hydrogen-powered Hummer, has made the environment a central issue in his state.

We've already had the showy press conferences to announce nothing, we don't need a high-profile photo-op to guide our environmental course. This invitiation is pure politics, trying to draw a parallel between California and Canada. Just enact the legislation if you are truly serious, you certainly don't need Arnie to show us the way. I'm sure Harper can draw on a host of experts to explain the details of California' approach, he doesn't need to fawn in front of the cameras and say "look at me".

Actually, I find the fact that Harper has sought out Schwarzenegger to be a further indication that his government is more interested in appearances over substance. Here is an idea, why not make the "big splash" with legislation that actually has some teeth, then invite Arnie to town? Just do something already, enough with the grandstanding nothingness. And if Harper does need Schwarzenegger to show Canadians he is serious about climate change, isn't that a sad admission of failure and an act of pathetic desperation.

9 comments:

''Just do something already, enough with the grandstanding nothingness''

Pretending the last 13 years of Liberals rule hasn't happened, won't make it so.If Liberals had follwed that advise, with 11 years of continuous majority governments, there was nothing stopping them from''do something already, enough with the grandstanding nothingness''

And if Harper does need Schwarzenegger to show Canadians he is serious about climate change, isn't that a sad admission of failure and an act of pathetic desperation.

Exactly. I will say this though. If he does it quietly, with no photo-op's, no fan fare, I'll give him mild credit, though, it still means he's unable to come up with a strategy to attract anyone left of his party and is seeking help.

Hollywood and Harper...it's difficult to think of an odder combination.

I think wilson may have his comment pasted somewhere and just copies it over and over on various blogs.

Ah wilson61, you say that Liberals did nothing in 13 years? Hows about balancing the budget, paying down the debt, lowering taxes, signing the Kyoto Accord and driving it to the top concerns of a majority of the nations, plus setting up "Project Green" which would have achieved the Kyoto targets.

Which Steve and his potted plant Rona canceled all Project Green just so that Kyoto goals could not be reached. And Steve raised my taxes to prior 2000 rates. The ba****d.

hiti said... "signing the Kyoto Accord and driving it to the top concerns of a majority of the nations, plus setting up "Project Green" which would have achieved the Kyoto targets"

Really? After 13 years of Liberal rule, Canada was 35% above their Kyoto target. If the Liberals really cared as much as they say about the environment, then how is it that when they had solid majorities in parliament for 11 out of those 13 years that they did nothing when they could have very easily passed legislation to implemented enforceable environmental standards?.

Also, there was nothing in "Project Green" that set strict, achievable and enforceable targets for industry that would result in Canada's green house gasses being reduced by 35% in 6 years.

The Liberal plan all along was to give billions of our hard earned tax dollars to less developed countries to buy their emission credits, which would really accomplish nothing.

At least that at least the Conservatives have the foresight to work with environmentalists, Canadian industries, and other opposition parties who are willing to contribute.

In the end this will result in a sound, comprehensive, responsible and achievable environmental policy that will serve Canada well. I would rather prefer billions of our tax payers dollars to be spent fixing our environment instead of being sent to some other country to buy emission credits.

The difference with Schwarzenegger is that he has managed to separate himself on certain issues like environment from the Republican right. This is partially a function of the State he lives in and partially one of the post he holds - one that is not part of the legislative branch as the office of Prime Minister is.

Schwarzenegger can ignore his equivalent of the oil patch Tories in a way Harper can't because Harper doesn't have referendum initiatives to fall back on and the HoC doesn't really do true bipartisan process where Harper can look for Liberal votes to make up for losses on his own bench.

I saw Schwarzenegger on Meet the Press a while back and he was trotting out a good line about his about face on ramming through his agenda that the rejection of some of his referenda was a signal to him but also the legislature that voters didn't want to sort out legislative gridlock but for the governor and the legislature to solve between them, and thus Schwarzenegger got down to business and hammered out a deal.

He was speaking from a script of course (that's how he got there after all) and he said each line about five times in answer to pretty much anything Russert asked but it was an engaging script and I think a lot of voters were thinking not so much "I want a governor like Schwarzenegger" with the dodgy past and the sexism, but a government that works for me and finds a way to deal with the politics and get the job done.

You left out one other advantage of AS, he can't run for President so he doesn't have to worry about offending interests in other States that someone with an eye down the road on the WH would have to consider. That also gives him a certain latitude that needs to be factored in with all the other valid points you raised IMHO.